There He Was
by E B Darcy
Summary: Edward has left Bella again, and she is heartbroken. A few years later, she encounters a human who is just like him. Could it be him?
1. The Boy

There he was, after all this time. He was standing right in front of me. It had been at least 4 years since I had seen him, and I was 22 now. The last time I saw him was on August 5, 2007. He made up a story that his family was going hunting and he would be back in a couple days. A load of rubbish if I've ever heard it. That was the last time. He had kissed me goodbye as if it were a normal day, not even caring that we were being separated, that he would break my heart, or that I would try to commit suicide after worrying that he had been killed or even worse, that he didn't love me. I was hyperventilating and I could feel my heart beating a million miles a minute. At the same time, I felt angry, but I know it will go away in a minute.

He was about to walk away, so I started to call his name, so he would see me, so I could see him, so I could hug him, talk to him, scold him, find out about his life post me. "Ed-" I was cut off when he did turn around, and I realized it wasn't even him, just me being hopeful again. I could have sworn he was talking with a vampire. I could have sworn that it was his bronze hair. I could have sworn a million things. This boy was about my age, maybe older, maybe younger. He had dazzling green eyes, tan skin, and a great body. He was beautiful, but he wasn't _him_. I walked away, disappointed.

But then, in a second, I felt something soft on my shoulder and I wheeled around. It was the boy, who said, "Hey, were you calling my name?"

"No, I, well, yes, but I just thought you were someone else. Sorry."

"Not a problem," he said.

"Okay, well, bye," I replied.

"Wait, do I know you?" he asked.

"No," I said. I would remember him if I knew him. I had never met anyone this beautiful except, well, Edward of course. Along with the rest of the Cullens. After thinking about it, he did seem vaguely familiar but I couldn't think of what it was. He left after saying a quick bye.

I had made it through the mourning stage after Edward left. For the second time, I might add. I tried to go back to Jacob, seeing as I was in love with him, but it turns out he imprinted. Lucky him, I wish I could just find somebody and know in an instant that he's the one. I still had trouble picturing myself with anyone, being intimate, close, and in love with anybody other than Edward. I mean, besides Jacob, but let's face it, that love wasn't nearly as strong as the love I shared with Edward. Edward was my life and soul, and let's face it, he still had my heart. He always would. Despite the fact that I might find someone for myself when I'm thirty something, my heart would always belong with Edward. I had dated a bit, even been in a serious relationship, but I broke it off before it got too serious. I compared everyone to Edward, the way they walked, the way the talked, their jealousy level, their kissing skills, their hair, their hearts. And nobody was ever as good as Edward had been.

When Edward got back from his hunting trip, he was supposed to turn me into a vampire. Yup, that's right, I had been preparing for the biggest event in my life. The day after he got back, we were supposed to get married, and then we would move to Alaska, but instead, he left me. I thought about him everyday. What could have been, would have been. I would have been happy, no, _we _would have been happy together. We would hunt every day, play baseball with his family, buy outrageous gifts, maybe even go back to high school together. I would have become just as smart as him. We would travel the world, visit Tanya in Alaska, visit secluded beaches, we would have known everything about each other, we would go camping, he would teach me how to play the piano, and I would, well, I don't know, I don't have any cool talents; but best of all, we would just be together, and he could brush his fingers along my cheekbone at any time of the day, and I could kiss his collar bone whenever the urge hit me, and we would make love to each other every night.

Ok, let's face it, I was still mourning him, I thought about him all the time; not a day went by when I didn't picture his face, hear his voice, or just plain not think of him. I was always especially bitter and sad on my birthdays. Every time I turned a year older, the more unlikely I knew it would be for us to be together even if he did come back. I was 5 years older than him. 5 years! He would never know how it is to be able to vote or smoke or drink legally. Not that he would if he could. I mean about the smoking and the drinking. I still dreamt about him at night, and I visited the meadow every time I went back to see Charlie in Forks. I went off to college the summer after he left, just to have something to do with my time. Believe it or not, I went to Dartmouth. I got in, I couldn't believe it. I just graduated. I was living in Manhattan now, working a crap job I really didn't give a damn about. But that was me, just trying to live my life, day by day, trying to forget Edward. You see, once he gets in your brain, it's hard to get him back out.

Oh, I forgot to say, I was in a supermarket when I saw that other boy, the Edward look-a-like, from the back at least. Buying myself some groceries before heading back to work. I finished up my shopping by grabbing a few handfuls of Ramen noodles and headed to the check out line. I saw him again, a few lines over. He did have the same bronze hair as Edward, and he was the same height and build. Of course, a notable difference was that this boy was distinctly human, with his tan skin and a few veins protruding from his forearm. Their faces resembled each other, but of course Edward's was different, seeing as he was a vampire, and no human person could ever look as… as magnificent as him…

"Honey? Honey? You ready to check out?"

"What? Oh, yes," I replied. I hadn't noticed it, but while I was watching the boy curiously, I had moved up to the front of the line and the cashier was waiting for me. I grabbed a few items from my cart and put them onto the black slidey thing, repeating this process a few more times, and all the while staring at the boy.

"He's a looker, 'ain't he?" asked the lady scanning the apples I bought, looking past me at the boy I was staring at.

"What? Oh, uh huh, he's cute I guess," I replied, embarrassed that she had caught me looking. I still couldn't shake off the feeling that I knew him, but I suppose that's because I had just realized how much he looked like Edward.

I grabbed the two plastic bags filled with food that were waiting for me on the other side of the cashier and headed outside. I hurried back to my cramped apartment in the light drizzle, hoping not to get wet. I didn't really like the rain ever since moving away from Forks. You see, it reminded me of him. I finally arrived home, after pushing my way through crowds of wet people with umbrellas. I half ran, half walked up the three flights of stairs and set my bags down in hopes to find my key hidden somewhere within the depths of my large purse. Finally I found them and unlocked the door, picking up my groceries once again. I walked inside, kicking the door lightly shut with my foot.

"Hey, you're back, I thought I was going to have to set out a search team for you!" said Carrie, my roommate.

"Yeah, I got held up at the grocery store and it took me a while to get back here. What time is it? Are we going to be late?" I asked, frantically shoving food into random cabinets and into the fridge.

"Hon, I think it's inevitable that we're going to be late, when are we ever not?"

"Good point, but seriously, what time is it?" I asked.

"5:30," she replied.

"Oh my god, are you serious?" I answered, horrified. I worked for an advertising agency, and they were holding some posh dinner tonight to promote a new client, and I was supposed to be there early to help make sure nothing went wrong. I could see that wasn't about to happen; the dinner started at 6 pm, and I hadn't even taken a shower yet. Forgetting about the rest of the food, I ran to my little bathroom. Once inside, I turned the shower on full heat, slung a towel over the shower's glass door, yanked off my clothes, and jumped in. "Aahh!" I yelped. The shower was still cold. Of course. It only took about a year to become at least lukewarm. Whatever, I would have to take my chances of catching hypothermia. I was not going to lose this job. I rubbed some shampoo into my hair, all the while thinking of the boy who had the same amused crooked smirk as Edward. Even four years later, it made me dizzy to think of Edward smiling at me. I imagined him holding my hand as we walked to lunch together. My thoughts jumped back to the boy. I knew it was crazy, he couldn't be related to Edward! What could he possibly be, a great great nephew who was the spitting image of him? As if. I rubbed some conditioner together in my palms and ran my fingers through my hair. Ok, focus. I needed to think about my upcoming night, not my high school love, my almost husband, my almost… Nevermind. I just needed to rinse the conditioner out of my hair.

A few minutes later, I hopped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body, and one around my head to dry my hair. I sat down at the mini vanity/sink area and rubbed lotion onto my legs. When I was finished, I just sat there, gazing out into nothing, thinking about everything. A few minutes later reality came back when I realized I was staring at a fly that had landed near a crack on the crème colored wall. I checked the clock: 5:50! Oh crap. I grabbed the biggest brush out of the coffee mug that held all of my make-up brushes and the still opened jar of powder on the counter. I dipped my brush in the powder and then lightly guided the brush all over my face, doing the same with my bronzer. I grabbed a smaller brush and my rose colored blush. I smiled a fake smile into the mirror and applied the blush onto my cheek bones. I don't even remember the last time a smile found its way onto my face on accident. They were always smiles that showed too much teeth, and if you really looked closely, you could tell that I wasn't really smiling at all. It was more of a grimace, really. I put a tiny bit of eyeliner on, just to make my eyes pop a little bit more, and finished up with some mascara. Wouldn't Alice love to see me now, doing my own make-up and everything! I took the towel off my head and brushed out my hair before racing to my room and grabbing the dress I had picked out weeks ago to wear to the dinner tonight. I had to admit, even I thought I looked okay in it. It was a silky blue dress that cut off just right above my knees and ended in a bubble skirt. You know, one of those dresses where it folds under itself? It was strapless, and it had a thick ribbon around the middle of it, which I tied in a bow and moved a little off to the side. It made me look skinny, and a little bit sexy, I might add. Seeing as it was fall, and a little cool in New York City, I grabbed a long pea coat to where over it, along with tall navy heels that matched the dress perfectly. I was ready to face the world, meet a man, oh yeah, I forgot to do my hair. I ran back to the bathroom and blow dried my hair, making sure the bangs hit weren't too puffy or too flat, and the loose waves hit in the right place. Now, I shoved on my heels and flew down the stairs, grabbing my purse as I left the apartment and yelled a quick bye too my cat. Carrie was downstairs already, hailing a cab to take us to the event.

When we arrived, the dinner had already started. It was 6:30. We found some seats and listened as the speaker finished up whatever he was saying. After that, we were just supposed to mill around, chatting about the weather with people we barely knew, and some we didn't know at all. I'm not going to lie. I hate these types of things. My plan tonight was to throw back a few cocktails, find a handsome, man; heck, he didn't even have to be handsome, just a man, and take him home with me. It seemed like a good plan. Well, until I realized all the men here had to be at least 50, had already dumped their first wives, but still cheated on their second wives with young mistresses. Okay, maybe I was being a bit cynical, but seeing as my love life hadn't gone to plan, I think I deserved to be a bit assuming about these things sometimes. Either that or I was in a particularly bad mood tonight. Oh wait, I thought I saw somebody closer to my age. Yes, oh my gosh, it was the boy from the grocery store. Except he didn't look like a boy. He looked like a very handsome man, neatly dressed in a perfect black tux. I grabbed the nearest glass of champagne, downed it, and walked right over to him.

As I got near him, I started getting nervous. Little butterflies in my stomach. I hadn't felt those in, well, let's just say a really long time. I walked right up to him and just stared. He smelled really good. He was extremely handsome. "Er… hello," he said awkwardly.

Oh shit, I had just walked up to him without saying anything. "Hi, I'm Bella. Bella Swan."

"Nice to meet you. I mean, officially. We didn't really introduce ourselves back at the store. I'm Edward Mason."

**Okay guys. Don't be too harsh, but I would love some reviews! This is only my second story, and I haven't written anything in a really long time! Hopefully it wasn't too horrible…**


	2. The Video

"It's really good to meet you," I said in as normal a voice as I could handle. What was going on? I was 100 positive that Edward's last name was Mason before Carlisle adopted him when he became a vampire. Maybe this really is Edward's great great nephew or whatever and Edward is just a beloved family name. Maybe I'm freaking out over nothing. Maybe I have every right to be freaking out right now. Maybe he is exactly what my Edward would look like if he was human.

"Are you enjoying the party?" he asked. Lucky him. He didn't have a million thoughts running through his brain right now. He probably really was enjoying the party.

"I'm sorry, really sorry, but I have to go. Now," I said as I was walking away from him.

"Wait!" he said. "Could I have your number?"

"Oh, sure, right," I said in a daze. I wrote my number on a spare napkin and handed it to him.

I found Carrie talking with some friends of mine from work and told her I was leaving.

"Are you all right? I'll come with you!" she said.

"No, really, I'm fine, just feeling tired is all. Really, stay. Have a good time," I said. I found my coat and purse and made my way out into the city once again. I didn't even try to get a cab, even though it was quite a long walk and I was most definitely wearing the wrong kind of shoes. I walked blindly ahead, not even positive what I was thinking about. Well, I was trying to think of not thinking anything. I didn't want to think. But I thought of everything. My brain wouldn't shut off.

I finally looked up and realized I was heading in the wrong direction and that I was freezing cold. I found enough common sense to hail a cab, and I was extremely grateful for its warmth the second I sat down in one. I stared out the window. Raindrops were pouring down the glass and I tried to occupy my mind by picking out one drop at a time, waiting to see whether it would stop, speed up and slide all the way down the glass, or converge with another droplet of water. The one I was watching converged and together they sped down the glass.

The driver stopped in front of my building and I handed him the correct amount of money. I slowly got out of the taxi, walked the short distance from the yellow car to the old building I had come to know as home, and then up the three flights of stairs. I had one step to go when a thought occurred to me to check for mail. It had been at least a week since I'd last checked it. Ok, more like a month. I slowly walked back down the stairs happy that the little slips of paper that I would find in the little box would take up my mind power for at least ten minutes while I paid bills and such.

Every few minutes, my mind would slide back to the Edwards. Edward Cullen and Edward Mason. Maybe there really was only one of them. Maybe I was just being way too hopeful. I tried to oppress these thoughts with trivial things such as where the hell my keys were. Oh yeah, I left them in the side pocket of my purse. I found them and unlocked my mailbox, which was, as expected, full to the brim. I carefully gathered up every envelope, as well as one rather large package, in my arms, shut the box, and made my way slowly up the stairs _again_.

A few hours later I woke up disoriented. What happened? I was lying on the little couch in our apartment, fully clothed. I glanced at the clock: 9 o'clock. Which 9 though, am or pm? I pushed open the curtains and the sun's rays hit the inside of our apartment. I heard my stomach rumble. Definitely am. Unless this was some weird parallel universe. Which, I suppose, it could be, seeing as my life was turned upside down by a vampire.

I opened a little cupboard above the sink and pulled out a blue ceramic bowl along with a spoon from a nearby drawer. I found my favorite brand of cereal, cinnamon toast crunch, and poured it in the blue bowl. I did the same with the skim milk that stays in the fridge.

I sat down at our little kitchen table and began to eat my breakfast when I remembered that I never looked at the mail last night. It was laying a few feet away on another little table and I halfway got out of my chair, reached over as far as my arm would go, and grabbed it. I dumped it on the table in front of me, everything landing safely except for the package, which dropped with a loud clunk at my feet. Oh well, I would wait until later to inspect it.

The first few were bills, which I set aside to pay later. After taking a few bites of my cereal, I opened a couple letters from Charlie, and tons from Renee. She and Phil were traveling the US with his baseball team. Apparently, they were actually pretty good. I sorted out the rest of the mail, which was for Carrie.

I then grabbed the package lying on the ground, thinking it was for Carrie, but to my surprise the return address was from Charlie. I tore open the packing tape, and the first thing to fall out was a letter.

_Hey Bella,_

_How are you? I got this package in the mail a few months ago, and I debated whether or not to send it on to you. Don't be mad at me, I just didn't want you to get upset. It's from Alice. She sent it from somewhere in Italy, which I thought was odd.__Just, just please, don't be too angry __with me for not sending it. _

_Love,_

_Charlie_

A package, from Alice! This was the most exciting, scary, wonderful thing that had happened to me in years! What could it be? Why would she send it now? What was it? A million different thoughts crammed themselves into my brain, and I was too excited to do anything but sit and grin there like an idiot at the package. Finally, I realized that I would have to open it to see what it was. Another letter fell out, this one from Alice, I suppose.

_Dear Bella,_

_It's Alice! Miss me? I miss you, and so does Edward! I am so sorry about all this, but I think you will be happy in the long run. It was Edward's decision, not mine. It was a rath__er rash decision but we're both__ happy about it. Actually, Edward is just plain gleeful, almost jumping off the walls. Everything's explained __in the video. Edward says to tell you he loves you. He's setting up the camera right now. Hopefully we'll both see you soon! That is, if everything goes according to plan…_

_Love,_

_Alice (and Edward)_

It's from Alice _and_ Edward! I could feel my heart just about jump out of my skin. I felt so alive, relieved, I felt every emotion possible. I quickly dug around in the package and found a DVD. I raced to the TV to pop it in the player. This was more terrifying and amazing then the rest of my four years of emotions put together. My heart started to beat faster as I anticipated seeing Edward on the screen.

The screen was black at first, but all the sudden it focused on a room that looked like it was part of the castle the Volturi stayed in. All the sudden, Edward's face appeared, larger than life, and more glorious than I remembered it to be.

_"Make sure you tell her I love her in the letter!" Edward said, looking past the camera, to who I assumed to be Alice._

_ "Fine, fine, d__o you have the camera set up?" Alice questioned._

_"Yes, it was easier than I expected. I just can't figure out how to stop recording," he answered._

_"Just press the record button again, and it will stop," Alice said, and then I heard her mumble, "__idiot__" under her breath._

_"Hey, hey, __be__ni__-"_

At this point the screen cut off, probably because Edward pressed the record button again, waiting for Alice to finish up the letter and for them to get ready. Ready for what, I wasn't sure. A couple seconds later, the screen came alive again.

_"Hey Bella!__ It's us, in Italy, the __Volturi__ captured us! Edward and I were off hunting by ourselves when all the sudden Ja__ne appeared and whisked us off to their headquarters__. Apparently, __Aro__ and Caius got in a fight, and Caius killed __Aro__. Anyways, Jane immediately thought of you, because she is extremely jealous of you, for your talents. She wanted to punish you, but found Edward first. __She took us back to Italy, and is probably going to let me free. Well, probably not, but I'm going to__ try to free myself. I'm not __sure the __Volturi__ are so forgiving now that __Aro__ is gone. They gave Edward an ultimatum. __He'll explain it. I have to go," and Alice left the view of the screen._

_"Bella, darling, I love you and I am so sorry about this," Edward said. But he didn't look sorry at all. He was grinning like a maniac, and his beautiful bronze hair was in __a disarray__ as if he had been jumping __up and down __in excitement. _

His crooked smile made me dizzy with longing. Longing to see it, face to face, once more. I paused the video, so I could just stare at his face, taking in every detail. The way his hair was always perfect, his grin, always a little lopsided, the way his eyes stared into the camera as if they were really looking at me. I pressed play again.

_"Well, you know that they captured us. But let me fill you in. Since the last time we saw the __Volturi__, they have had a new vampire join their ranks. He has an extremely unique gift. He has the power to turn someone or something back to their original form. For example, if he was fighting a werewolf, he could turn the werewolf back into a human. And it's permanent. Do you know what this means? He has the power to turn vampires into humans. They do this as a punishment to vampires who have disobeyed and shown themselves to humans. So anyways, they told me, they said I could either join their forces or be turned into a human. __I pretended like this was a horrible thing, and that I would have to think about it. Bella, this is the chance of a lifetime! We could be together, forever! And you wouldn't have to lose your soul in order for it to happen! We would be normal human beings!" He was using wild hand motions, and he was moving around__, as if __he could barely contain his enthusiasm for this odd punishment._

_"Of course I'm going to tell them I want to be turned into a human. They have told me though, that I will not be exactly the same. They have seen some funny things happen. I'm pretty sure I will stay the same age, but they said 99 of the vampires who receive this punishment lose pretty much all of their memory. I might remember Carlisle, because I have the best chance of remembering what happened when I was__ a human. I won't remember Alice;__and Bella...__ Alice told me that I won't remember you. That's nonsense of course. I am positive I will remember you. You are my life, my love, and you have my heart. I will find you, and everything will be perfect. Hopefully we'll be __in each other's arms in just a few day__s. Remember, I'll always love you Bella!"_

The screen turned blank again. I didn't know what to think. Should I be excited, or upset? Charlie said that he received this a few months ago. Now, I'm not a whiz with numbers, but Alice and Edward couldn't have been with the Volturi for more than a few weeks. Definitely not for 3 or 4 years. What went wrong? Why hadn't Edward, or Alice, or anybody contacted me?

At that second, the screen came to life again.

_Alice was on screen, in the same room that they had previously filmed. If she hadn't been a vampire, I would have thought she had been crying. "Bella, it was horrible! Everything went wrong!" She seemed to be looking for the right words to say. "It's Edward. He doesn't remember anything. He thinks __it's__ 1918 and he's frantic about his mother. I tried to talk with him, to reason with him, but he refuses to speak to me. He doesn't know who I am. I tried talking with him about Carlisle, but he's mad at him! __Seems to blame him for h__is father's death.__ The __Volturi__ took him away. They are buying him tickets for Chicago. I need to help him! If this reaches you by September, you need to help! Try contacting Carlisle or the rest of the family. I can't get out of here. They've locked me up. Edward needs help! I will try to send this as soon as possible, but I'm not sure who I can trust. Hopefully I'll see__ you soon, and hopefully Edward will be__ with you."_

_The video cut off._

Oh my god! If she wanted me to get it by September, well, I'm pretty sure she meant September of 2007. Not September of 2011. Edward could be anywhere! I tried to reason with myself. The smartest thing to do would be to try to contact and of the Cullens. Where were they, anyways? Forks? Alaska? South Africa? Brazil? They could be in any part of the universe. If Alice sent the video to me, maybe it meant she was free. But why didn't she try to contact me? What happened? I needed answers, and then it dawned on me. All I needed to do was wait. Wait for a phone call from one Edward Mason.


	3. The Flight

**Sorry for the absolute shortness of this chapter! I just got Microsoft Office back and I just had to write a quick chapter, no matter how short. Thank you reviewers!**

**Oh yeah, I don't own anything, Stephenie Meyer does.**

I was getting desperate. It had been a week since I received the video from Alice and Edward, and Edward Mason had yet to call me back. I contemplated flying to Forks, but what if Edward Mason called me back while I was over there? I supposed I could Google search Dr. Carlisle or something, there might be some helpful search result.

Nope, nothing. I paced around the small apartment, every sense more alert than ever. I decided to just call Charlie and casually ask about the Cullens. I half walked, half ran to the phone and dialed Charlie's number from heart. One ring. Two rings.

"Hello?" I heard him ask, sounding far away.

"Dad?" I said, "It's me, Bella."

"Bella! It's so great to hear from you! You're supposed to call every once in a while. You never answer or return my phone calls."

"I'm so sorry dad. It's just… I've been really busy lately and work is really starting to become serious."

"It's ok. I understand. I'm just giving you a hard time."

"So, how are things over there in Forks?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, same ol', same ol'."

"How are the Blacks?"

"Great, Jacob found himself a girlfriend, so they're pretty happy about that," he answered.

Yes, he imprinted finally. "Good. I'm happy for him."

"I knew you would be."

"So, are the Cullens back?"

"Yes, but not all of them."

"Everyone but Edward?"

"Yes," Charlie replied, and I could hear in his voice that he regretted being the one to tell me this.

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of the Cullens, because even if Edward wasn't there, I loved them and missed them. I made a quick decision.

"Dad, I'm coming home. To visit."



"Belles, I'm not sure that's the best idea. I think you should stay away from the Cullens. They've caused you nothing but grief for a few years now. Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to forgive."

"Charlie, I know what I'm doing. I want to come home. I need to see the Cullens. They aren't bad people, I promise you."

I had spent 4 years of life with only normal humans, and my heart leapt at the thought of seeing the Cullens after all this time. I missed Alice the most, who had become a best friend in the short time I knew her, and all the others too. They were basically family to me.

"I'll see you in a couple days, Dad," I said, and hung up the phone. I looked up the airline number and called, securing a flight for the next day. I quickly packed all the necessities for visiting Forks: raincoat, rainboots, jeans, sweatshirts, you get the picture.

I went to sleep that night exhausted but happy.

:

I ran through the packed terminal, spilling a little bit of coffee on my peacoat in the process. Why did I decide to wear boots with heels today? I was late to board, thanks to my roommate Carrie, who couldn't seem to wake up for me to tell her that I was leaving and she needed to take care of the place at least a little while I was gone. Oh well, I was absolutely going to make it to my flight on time. If only I could remember my gate number! I set down my coffee while resting on the moving sidewalk and rifled through my boarding papers. I scanned the papers for my gate number, D17. I looked up to see if I was anywhere close, and to my luck, I was currently standing near D30. I picked up my coffee again and took a big gulp before once again pushing my way through the crowd.

I finally made my way to the proper gate and had my ticket swiped. I boarded the already filled plane. I made my way to my seat, and to my absolute surprise, sitting in D18 was Edward Mason.

"Hi," he said, reaching out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Edward. You can call me Eddie." 


	4. The Truth?

**Oh yes, I have forgotten until now, but just to clarify, I do not own any of these characters… Everything is based on the wondrous creation that Stephenie Meyer made. Oh, and on the last chapter, I said it was gate D17 or something, and that Edward was sitting next to me in seat D18… that was a mistake. I don't have a beta or anything.. is that what they are? The people who edit your work? Oh and sorry it's pretty short, I wanted to write something, but it's just sort of… short. And I'm sort of at a crossroads as to where to take it. So I'm just writing anything that comes. Anywho… here we go.**

"Hey. Eddie. So nice to see you again." As if I wasn't about to flip some major shit. _Get it together, Bella_. He was looking so relaxed, he almost had the ability to make his airplane seat look like the most comfortable chair he has ever sat it. Almost.

But really, who was he and how did we have the ability to re-find each other in such random situations? It was eerie, really. As if we were supposed to meet. As if we did know each other. As if we had a bond. A link. Okay, now I was just getting sappy. I snuck another glance at him. He was looking at me. Intensely. It was almost the same amount of intensity with which Edward used to show me when he was telling me how much I meant to him. How much he loved me, and how I completed his life.

I decided to question this Eddie fellow to find out about his past, to get to know him and to figure out this curious enigma.

"So, Eddie, where are you flying to today?" I questioned him.

"Oh, actually, I'm going to visit some family and friends of mine in Washington. I recently had a terrible accident and lost my memory. I'm re-meeting them for the first time today. Where are you flying to?" he answered.

"Oh, actually, that's quite a coincidence, I'm going to Washington, too… I'm going to visit my dad and some old friends. What area are you visiting?" I asked. 

"You've probably never heard of it. Apparently, it's a really small town. Boring, really."

I was shocked. Could it be possible… was he visiting Forks? No, no, that would be an unbelievable circumstance. He can't possibly know the Cullens. He can't possibly know my Edward. Come on, Bella. This is Eddie, and he's no Edward. Edward would never call himself Eddie. That's the name of a California dope smoking surfer dude. Not of a man born in the early 20th century who liked to be as gentlemanly and courteous as possible.

"Really? I'm visiting a small town too. Forks. You're not… visiting a family by the name of Cullen, are you?" I asked of him.

"Wow, that's amazing. How do you know that? I am indeed going to Forks and I am visiting the Cullens. Apparently I am a Cullen, I just don't know it. I got a letter from them to visit, along with a ticket."

This was too much to handle. This couldn't be right. Maybe, maybe this really was just Edward's great great nephew, and the Cullens wanted to meet him to get to know him better and… Oh, I don't know. Why would the Cullens have any interest in meeting this mortal? They have never searched their own pasts before. Yet, who else could it be? There is no way it could be the real Edward, and yet secretly I thought to myself that that was a real possibility to consider. I had an urge to touch his hand, just to see if it was cold. I looked into his impossibly green eyes and couldn't help but think that Edward told me he had green eyes before he became a vampire. There was definitely a link. He spoke again.

"Do I know you? I'm sorry if I have forgotten you, but with the accident, I just can't help it. Were we friends? I used to live in Forks, I think, and we must have known each other."

This was just… unbelievable. This was him. Here he was. Edward. But not Edward. How was this possible? It was simply inconceivable. This couldn't be him. Edward's skin was pale as snow. Icy white. His eyes were the most beautiful amber, and he simply was not a human. This Edward, Eddie, was most definitely a human with his warm skin and beating heart. I simply did not know what to do or how to react. Was I really to believe him? From what I could gather, this most definitely was— oh my god. How could I be so impossibly dumb?

The video, everything was explained in the video. Of course this was Edward. How could I possibly forget? The Volturi… they changed him into a human! They really did it! We could be happy now! Live normal lives, be together until death, make love as two equal beings. Hold up. Was I forgetting something? Oh yeah, the small part where "Eddie" apparently has no remembrance of me! How can he not remember me? We are soulmates, lovers, best friends; destined to be together.

"Do you not remember me at all? I remember you perfectly. I used to… see you around school sometimes. We went to high school together. I was friends with one of your sisters, Alice."

"Oh, okay, yeah, sorry I don't remember you at all! I guess we probably didn't know each other that well." 

"Yeah. I guess we didn't know each other that well…" I thought of all of our passionate kisses, those dozens of nights I fell asleep snuggled up against his body, his breath on my neck, the feeling of my hand wrapped in his.

The rest of the flight passed in silence, with him sleeping and me frantically wishing and hoping that somehow he would magically remember me, and what I would do in the mean time. After landing and taxiing, I found Charlie near the baggage claim, and he wrapped me in a giant Charlie hug. We found my solitary black suitcase and headed towards the car in silence. It was so good to see him, yet silence was our best form of communication, and we both knew we were happy to see each other.

Unpacking my things felt so good to do. I was happy to be back in my old room, and contented to hear the sound of a ball game on tv downstairs. It just felt right to be in Forks, except for that one little thing nagging at the back of my mind. Oh yeah, that's right. The Edward Fiasco. I made up my mind to call Alice, but just 10 seconds later, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

"Alice?" I answered.

"Hey I saw that you were about to call me. Are you home! I need to see you! I have some extremely big news to share! You must come over pronto!"

"Wait, Alice. I know about Edward. I was with him on the flight. I already met him, but he doesn't remember me. Just please, don't tell him about us. I want him to remember me. I don't want to force myself on him. I don't want him to only be with me because I told him we used to be together. A few years ago. I want our relationship to survive. I want him to know that he loves me."


	5. The Reunion

The Reunion06/08/2009 23:58:00

**Okay, um, on the last chapter, I said they live in Washington, but I think they live in Oregon… sorry, it's been quite a while since I actually read the books… And I can't believe it's been 7 months since I wrote a chapter! I just felt really inspired to write another one tonight. Also, I'm thinking about changing the rating to M for future chapters… tell me what you think.**

**Characters and stuff belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

Upon waking up the morning after arriving in Forks, I made myself instant coffee and contemplated how to deal with the situation at hand. Deep down I knew that "Eddie" remembered me and cared about me… But how was I supposed to dig up those memories and feelings? I decided to go for a jog to clear my head. Feeling my heart beat speed up, I marveled at the fact that Edward, too, now had a beat of his own. I couldn't wait to learn its rhythm, feel his pulse, and watch him blush…

Coming home forty-five minutes later, I yanked off my sweaty shirt and shorts, and stepped into an ice cold shower. I made lunch and rolled a joint before decided to call Alice. I took a toke on the first ring, and she picked up on the second.

"Helllooooo, you've reached moi, Alice!" she chirped into the phone.

"Hey, Al, it's me, Bella," I said after blowing out a lung-full of smoke.

"Bella! You must come over as soon as possible! We broke the news to 'Eddie' that he's one of us, and he's really not taking it well. I think the presence of another human around the house would really settle his nerves, if you know what I mean," she explained.

I took another hit before responding. "Fine, I'll be over in about twenty minutes."

"Oh, thank you so much Bella! And we can't wait to see you! I'm so sorry your life has been unresolved for the past four years. We so regret what we've done to you…"

"Really, Alice, it's not me you have to apologize to, it's Charlie," I said. I was chill now. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Bye, Bells!"

---------------------------------------------------

Taking one last drag, I put out the joint. Counted to twenty. Exhaled. I was determined to take all the right steps in putting Edward and my's relationship back together, but I really wasn't sure how to start. And I really doubted being high right now would help matters. Whatever, there was nothing I could do about that now. I changed into skinny jeans and a button up shirt, and I laced up my purple sneaks. Oh man was I nervous. I mean, obviously I had already met Edward and I shouldn't have been too nervous about seeing him again, but this was under different circumstances. He knew about his past (omit the chunk about me) and I wasn't sure how he would change because of it. Obviously you can't just return to normal after finding out that you were once a vampire.

I pulled on my coat and headed out the door. I reached in the hip pocket for my Marlboros and took out a cigarette. I really needed a smoke to calm my nerves (not that I didn't just smoke a joint or anything). I opened the door of my good old red truck that had remained in Charlie's driveway throughout all of this, thankful that he had not sold it. I turned the keys in the ignition, popped a Ben Kweller CD I had found in my room earlier, and put the truck in reverse. Oh man, I really wish I wasn't so stoned right now. I took a drag, opened the window and blew the smoke out into the clear, cold air; I sped away in the direction of the Cullens house.

I arrived only ten minutes later, parked in front, and sat in the car to finish a second cigarette. I put it out in the ashtray as Alice ran out the front door. I rolled up my window and ran out to meet her. We hugged for a full five minutes, both with silly grins plastered on our faces.

"Oh we're all just so ecstatic that you're here, Bella! Esme and Carlisle and I especially! Come in! You need to see everybody!" she squealed.

"Thanks, Al, really, I'm so happy to be here also! I've been waiting for this day for four years! I'm just so disappointed that Edward doesn't remember me," I said as we crunched on gravel, walking in the direction of the house. Inside the front door, I could hear the sounds of Emmett and Jasper joking around, Rosalie and Esme in quite conversation, and Carlisle's reassuring tones (probably speaking with Eddie).

We closed the front door behind us, and I felt the stares of multiple people on me. Esme came over to give me a warm embrace, followed by the rest of the Cullens. Edward sat on a stool in the kitchen, looking uncertain about being there. I wanted to touch him, embrace him, kiss him. My memory flashed back to one of the last nights we were together, his ragged breath on my neck, his hard-on against my thigh, his hands running all over my body… How I missed that intimacy between us, how I yearned for it, still, after all this time…

"Bella, we're so glad you could be here," Dr. Cullen began, "we've missed you over these years, as we have missed Edward. I'm certain you've missed him as well." At this point he turned to speak to Eddie. "Bella was a good friend of yours and of ours. She knows about our secret, and she understands. She can help you understand and embrace your past."

Oh I could, could I?

I walked over to sit on the stool next to Edward. The rest of the Cullens went back to doing whatever they had been doing before, trying to act casual. "Do you… want to go outside. We can talk," I said to him.

"Yes, I would love to," Eddie said.


End file.
